Building structures, such as windows and doors, that are made using real wood have a pleasing appearance and a substantial and solid feel. While the appearance of natural wood is aesthetically pleasing, wood can be susceptible to damage caused by long-term exposure to humid or dry air, moisture, weather, fungal infestation, and/or insect pests. Thus, frequent and often costly maintenance can be required to prevent the deterioration of finished wood that is exposed to the environment.
Also, wood is a valuable natural resource. To maximize the efficiency of using lumber for the production of building structures, lumber that has been cut to a size that is smaller than the final part may be used to form a larger piece. For example, small pieces of wood that may be left over from trimming a large panel or beam may be assembled as part of a larger building structure.
To enhance the ability of real wood to resist deterioration such as that caused by weather and/or insect pests, formulations to preserve and protect wood and methods of treating wood with such formulations have been developed (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,686,056; 6,569,540; 6,274,199; 5,824,370; 5,652,023; and references cited therein). Treatment of wood with such preservative formulations may result in additional steps that need to be incorporated into the overall manufacturing process. For example, treatment of wood with a preservative formulation may require drying the wood to a particular moisture content either before or after treatment. Or, treatment of wood with a preservative formulation may require pretreatment of the wood to enhance penetration of the preservative formulation into the pores of the wood. Also, wood products made from smaller pieces may need to be glued together either before or after being treated.
Thus, there is a need to increase the efficiency of processes used to make wood that has been chemically treated. Also, there is a need to improve upon the formulations used in the manufacture of wood products and building structures that use treated wood.